Last year, Vince Vaughn had a dilemma: His buddy-comedy with Kevin James was one of his worst-reviewed in some time; in fact, The Dilemma just missed out on making back its $70 million budget.
In response, Vaughn seems to be making safer movie choices. First, he teamed with Jonah Hill and Ben Stiller for the upcoming comedy Neighborhood Watch. Then came the announcement he's re-teaming with his Wedding Crashers co-star Owen Wilson for the comedy The Internship (which starts shooting this summer).
Now comes news that Vaughn is looking to headline an adaptation of the TV series The Rockford Files, which originally ran from 1974-1980 on NBC and has remained in syndication ever since. Originally played by James Garner, the character of private investigator Jim Rockford seems like a great fit for Vaughn. A Korean War veteran (likely updated for the movie, if used at all), Rockford spent a few years in San Quentin for a falsely accused crime (but was later pardoned), and often used his charm to get himself out of trouble, though he wasn't opposed to the occasional fist fight and car chase. A movie would also open the door for a veteran actor to play Rockford's dad, Rocky — possibly Garner himself?
But there's no reason to get excited this soon, Vaughnnettes. Deadline reports that Universal has hired screenwriters David Levien and Brian Koppelman (Battleship, Ocean's Thirteen) to adapt the series into a movie after a couple attempts to reboot the TV series went bust. While a Rockford Files reboot has the potential to be a franchise for Vaughn, it'll be a while before Jim Rockford starts answering calls from his Malibu-based mobile home again.
Posted 04.18.12 by Ryan